The Hi-Fi community has
lost a great warrior and pioneer. Mr. J. Gordon
Holt, founder of Stereophile magazine and one
of the original architects of the US Hi-Fi press,
has passed away. Mr. Holt's story is an
inspirational one. He followed his passion for
recorded music, a love that found him at a very
early age and helped create an industry out of that
love and devotion. He spoke of his first high
fidelity awakening, which took place during his
attendance of a musical education class, in an
interview with Steven Stone in Stereophile:

"The classes were
held in the chapel, which had fairly good
acoustics---it wasn't one of those places with
bare walls that sounded like a bathroom. The
teacher would wheel this big loudspeaker to
center-stage, play the records, and they sounded
pretty good. One time while I was dozing he got
talking about Wagner, and he pulled out a piece
of music---the Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin,
or something like that. All of a sudden I woke
up. It stood my hair on end. I'd never heard
anything like this. So I went out the next
weekend to the record store and bought that
record, brought it home, and listened to it on
my parent's phonograph. It was a little wind-up
acoustical Victrola, and it didn't sound the
same! [laughs] That was when I first realized
that all phonographs were not created equal."

Mr. Holt took that
experience and focused on the art of recording;
capturing plays at his local high school. His
curiosity about the playback end of Hi-Fi stirred
his tinkering with the equipment itself. After
discovering an equal love for journalism at Lehigh
University, he later found himself working for
High Fidelity after selling a couple of articles
to the publication. His experiences writing
equipment reports (most notably his recommended
recordings for dealer demos), and working for
Weathers Industries, inspired the young Holt to
start his own magazine. He launched Stereophile
in 1962 out of his mothers home, and soon found
himself in the position of imparting his insights on
people who shared the same obsession

His dedication to both
the discovery of music and new recording/playback
technology, and the sharing
of his experiences sparked a new form of journalism
here in the states; the equipment reviewer, who
approached the critique of the hardware from a sheer
love of the sound of music. He thought listening to
the components was the best way to describe their
performance, as opposed to merely publishing lab
results. He also believed that experiencing live
music was an essential tool for any journalist
looking to review Hi-Fi equipment, as it provided
the base line for reproducing the sound as well as
the visceral impact of the live experience. The
magazine grew in popularity, and Mr. Holt,
admittedly more of a writer than a business man,
began to feel the heat of publication schedules and
demands, and subsequently fell behind. Tired of
waiting for his own issues to arrive; Harry Pearson,
the man responsible for later coining the phrase
"high end audio" started his own newsletter, and
The Absolute Sound was born. The language of the
modern-day audiophile community was formed through
these two journals.

Holt eventually sold
Stereophile, but stayed on as chief equipment
reviewer. Being a paid writer afforded him the
opportunity to explore his original passion; the
fine art of recording, and he would continue to
share his Hi-Fi discoveries with his readers. Having
first-hand experience with the actual recording of
instruments gave him a necessary edge over many of
his peers, and we shall miss his insights. He even
joined the staff of The Absolute Sound later
in his career as a part-time contributor, proving
that the focus of his devotion remained in the
advancement of the audio arts, no matter where his
opinions found print.

All of us here in the
audio community should tip our hats to Mr. J Gordon
Holt, a man whose vision spawned generations of
enthusiasts and music lovers alike. He was a true
maverick, whose voice is echoed in the thoughts and
words of audiophiles across the globe.

I had the privilege of
speaking with Mr. Holt on many occasions, thanks to
an introduction by Harry Pearson, and he always had
something valuable to teach me. When I went to work
for Arif Mardin at Atlantic, he told me the
experience would be a better teacher than anything
the Hi-Fi press could bestow upon me, and I always
looked forward to making up a reason to write to
him. He loved to jab at me when I shared an opinion
on something we disagreed on (big Tannoy studio
monitors for one), but I always knew I was getting
teased by one of the founding fathers of my hobby.
I'd take a verbal beating from Mr. Holt anytime, and
cherish the moment! I deeply regret not reaching out
to him more often while he was around.

Michael Mercer

Mike, a job well done!!!
I think you did him justice. I definitely
would not have learned as much as I have in this
business without the writings of J Gordon, and
Harry. You set the record straight. In a personal
tribute to the man, I broke down and redid my system
in the living room, and did the usual fidgeting I
have not done in years. And it sounds better than
ever, so I drink a martini to one of the great ones
in our industry, and a toast goes out to your
perfectly placed words....